Monitoring of vehicle conditions utilizing cellular broadcasts

Abstract

This document describes, among other things, a systems and methods for monitoring vehicle conditions via cellular networks.

1. A system for electronic dispatching of a vehicle for hire, comprising:
 a plurality of network information repository servers distributed in a network adapted to support mobile stations having multiple interfaces; 
 said plurality of network information repository servers are distributed in said network so that each of said network information repository servers support only the mobile stations that are present in a predefined geographical area mapped to an individual network information repository server of said plurality of network information repository servers; 
 each of said network information repository servers is adapted to receive messages from the mobile stations that are present in the predefined geographical area mapped to the individual network information repository server of a user's current location; 
 each of said plurality of network information repository servers is adapted to search a database for a qualifying vehicle for hire present in the predefined geographical area mapped to the individual network information repository server; and 
 each of said plurality of network information repository servers is adapted to, upon finding the qualifying vehicle for hire, transmit a message via a cellular network to the operator of the vehicle for hire present in the predefined geographical area mapped to the individual network information repository server. 
 
     
     
       2. The system according to  claim 1 , wherein qualifying vehicles for hire include at least one taxi cab. 
     
     
       3. The system according to  claim 2 , wherein said qualifying vehicles for hire include at least one taxi cab that: is registered in an established database maintained on the network information repository server; and is sufficiently in the proximity of the geographical coordinates of the user. 
     
     
       4. The system according to  claim 3 , wherein the at least one taxi cab transmits a message identifying its status as vacant or not-vacant. 
     
     
       5. A method for electronic dispatching of a vehicle for hire, comprising:
 distributing a plurality of network information repository servers in a network adapted to support mobile stations having multiple interfaces; 
 distributing said plurality of network information repository servers in said network so that each of said network information repository servers support only the mobile stations that are present in a predefined geographical area mapped to an individual network information repository server of said plurality of network information repository servers; 
 wherein each of said network information repository servers: 
 receiving messages from the mobile stations that are present in the predefined geographical area mapped to the individual network information repository server of a user's current location; 
 searching a database for a qualifying vehicle for hire present in the predefined geographical area mapped to the individual network information repository server; and 
 finding the qualifying vehicle for hire and transmitting a message via a cellular network to the operator of the vehicle for hire present in the predefined geographical area mapped to the individual network information repository server. 
 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 5 , further including having said qualifying vehicles for hire include at least one taxi cab. 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 6 , further including have said qualifying vehicles for hire include at least one taxi cab that: is registered in an established database maintained on the network information repository server; and is sufficiently in the proximity of the geographical coordinates of the user. 
     
     
       8. The method according to  claim 7 , further including having the at least one taxi cab transmit a message identifying its status as vacant or not-vacant.